The crisp, rhythmic sound of hooves echoed through the air, instantly putting Sebastian Zhao on high alert. He immediately ordered his soldiers to ready their bows and notch their arrows. The sound grew clearer; down on the mountain path, hooves clattered—there must have been at least a hundred riders.
Sebastian Zhao broke into a smile on horseback.
"General Zhao, should we launch a surprise attack and then withdraw?"
Sebastian Zhao shook his head, his eyes sharp as he gazed toward the edge of the mountain ridge.
"Ordinary soldiers wouldn't be riding horses. I suspect those coming are generals. We should kill as many as we can."
Looking up at the mountain ridge, it wasn’t hard to climb, and some slopes were gentle enough for horses. Cyrus Sage watched quietly. Something felt off to him—his men were the elite of the Sage Domain and would never fail to report back. He’d sent them out in the morning, and by now it was afternoon. Soldiers from other ridges had reported twice, but not a single word had come from this one.
"Maybe they fell asleep. I just saw Ashu sitting over there! The others probably chased some prey."
A soldier spoke with ease; he’d just come from the ridge behind Cyrus Sage. But Cyrus was still suspicious. He dismounted, followed by more than twenty generals, all armed, slowly making their way up the slope with him.
The sound of footsteps multiplied. Sebastian Zhao gripped his dagger tightly. The area atop this ridge was small, and bows could only be fired once—close combat would be most effective in this terrain.
"Remember: prioritize killing the enemy generals."
Sebastian Zhao stared ahead. If it really was an enemy general, there would be someone leading this unit—and that was his target.
Two black daggers—one held upright in his left hand, the other reversed in his right. This was Sebastian Zhao’s habit: in the chaos of battle, this technique let him defend against long weapons and strike quickly at an enemy’s throat.
"If anyone up there hears me, respond quickly!"
Sebastian Zhao was about to answer, but stopped. The soldiers and generals beside him, drenched in sweat, stared ahead. He couldn’t tell if they were Wynn or Sage Domain troops, nor did he recognize their callsigns.
"Damn it, what are the soldiers up there doing?"
A harsh voice rang out, and Sebastian Zhao called back immediately.
"Reporting to the Grand Commander—no abnormalities."
It was a gamble. Sebastian Zhao quietly gripped his daggers.
"If you understand, reply quickly. Continue your reconnaissance."
The coarse voice sounded again below, and Sebastian Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.
"No one make a sound. Surround the area near this ridge."
Cyrus Sage gave the order with a cold expression. The soldiers moved quietly, while others, under the command of a tall, bearded general, casually descended the mountain, making plenty of noise as they went.
Cyrus Sage sneered.
"I want to see who it is. Looks like it’s a general from the enemy’s side—someone who can silently take out four of our soldiers."
"Commander Sage, I think it’s just a few dozen men. The soldiers were busy collecting bird eggs and didn’t notice anything."
But Cyrus Sage had already reached the top of the ridge. With one more step, he’d be up. The soldiers passed shields up in relay; Cyrus took one in his left hand and a sword in his right. The generals behind him did the same—they were all skilled Sage Domain officers, each worth ten regular soldiers.
Cyrus studied the terrain. The enemy would likely fire arrows, but the narrow view up here meant only close combat would work.
Sebastian Zhao kept waiting. The enemy’s footsteps seemed to fade, though faint sounds remained. He couldn’t figure out their situation, but now he saw relaxed, laughing soldiers on the opposite ridge.
"Stay hidden."
Sebastian Zhao’s order let his tense soldiers relax for a moment. Suddenly, from the base of the ridge to his left, a shout rang out.
"We’re surrounded by the enemy."
Suddenly, Sebastian Zhao’s eyes widened. He scrambled up from the ground, raising his bow.
"Grab your weapons!"
In an instant, a swarm of shield-bearing enemies charged up the ridge. Arrows flew, but most were blocked by shields. The volley caused only minimal casualties.
"Prepare to retreat."
Sebastian Zhao shouted, and some soldiers behind him readied their weapons to retreat down the mountain. But then he spotted enemy archers behind their lines—the situation was dire. If they retreated and turned their backs, escape would be impossible.
"Grab your weapons and follow me!"
Suddenly, a tall enemy wielding a shield appeared before Sebastian Zhao. The enemy carried a rattan shield and swung a heavy club at Sebastian’s head.
"Ha! None of you are getting away!"
With a thud, leaves fell. Sebastian Zhao ducked, dodging the club, and stabbed his dagger at the enemy’s throat.
"You’re looking for death, kid!"
With a ripping sound, Sebastian Zhao’s dagger struck the enemy’s shield. The enemy raised his club, ready to smash down.
Sebastian Zhao calmly slashed upward. With a tearing sound, the rattan shield split open. The enemy stared in disbelief at the black dagger, but Sebastian’s blade was already at his throat and the man stumbled back a step.
Blood spattered. The enemy’s face was sliced open by the dagger, and he screamed in agony, blood streaming down.
"General Torin, get out of the way!"
A clear shout rang out from behind. Sebastian Zhao jumped back as a bone sword thrust toward him, stopping at his chest.
(This chapter is not finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting content!)
Cyrus Sage stared in surprise at the enemy before him—about his size, maybe a bit smaller. The two sides were already engaged, and their forces held the overwhelming advantage, cutting down enemy after enemy.
But this enemy was different. Cyrus could feel it—locking eyes with him was like facing a wild, unknown beast. It sent a chill down his spine.
"Don’t rush in."
With a whoosh, an enemy on Sebastian Zhao’s flank thrust a spear at him. Just as it was about to strike, Sebastian straightened, dodged with a crouch, then suddenly lunged to the left, slashing downward with his dagger.
Blood sprayed. Cyrus Sage stared in shock at the long gash on the general’s neck before him. He immediately gave chase, followed by several stunned generals.
Sebastian Zhao glanced worriedly at his soldiers—most had fallen, and his adjutant had died to an enemy’s spear.
A sudden heat surged in Sebastian’s heart and he shouted.
"Everyone, retreat!"
With that, Sebastian Zhao sprinted to the right. All enemy attention was on him—and he knew their intent: they wanted to capture him alive.
"Capture him alive—no bows!"
Cyrus Sage shouted, and the generals surged forward in pursuit, surrounding Sebastian. Three or four men with bone swords blocked his escape, while dozens more closed in from behind.
"I won’t die in a place like this. Let’s see what you’ve got."
With a swish, three enemies thrust their swords at him. Sebastian Zhao stopped, dodging easily. They weren’t aiming to kill—they targeted his arms and legs.
Suddenly, Sebastian Zhao stepped onto a jutting tree root and drove his knee into an enemy. With a thud, the man fell back, while two others stared in shock.
His left dagger stabbed under the neck of the enemy to his left. Sebastian yanked the blade, and as he landed, his right dagger drove into another enemy’s jaw.
In a flash, three men were down. The others stared in disbelief at the small-framed Sebastian Zhao.
"No matter what, capture him alive!"
Cyrus Sage realized instantly—the man before him was the enemy commander, and likely close to Yuna Grant.
The path opened up. Sebastian Zhao kept running—just a few dozen meters to escape the ridge. Horses waited below, and the enemy hadn’t fully encircled him yet. He glanced up at the sun, nearly dusk now, and a smile touched his lips.
Suddenly, a spear barred Sebastian’s way. He leapt forward, rolling to dodge a sword thrust from behind, and slashed an enemy’s abdomen with his left dagger as he landed.
After rolling on the ground, Sebastian sheathed his right dagger. As he got up, he fell back just in time—a spear thrust at him.
Sebastian Zhao drew an arrow and stabbed it into the enemy’s abdomen. Roaring, he rose, slashing at the enemy’s side. With a rip, a scream rang out behind him.
Cyrus Sage stared in shock—his sword, meant for the enemy, had struck his own man’s shoulder.
Sebastian Zhao kept running, his hands raw and bloody. He saw the ridge’s edge ahead, with shouts and screams below.
Sebastian leapt and dashed down the mountain, but despair hit—enemy forces were everywhere, blocking the lower path and filling the nearby ridges.
"You can’t escape."
Cyrus Sage raised his sword, glaring at Sebastian Zhao.